Shifting Dynamics of Contention in the Digital Age

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Liu
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Communication ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Communicative Practice ◽  
Political Contention ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Everyday Resistance

Over the past decades, waves of political contention involving the use of information and communication technologies have swept across the globe. The phenomenon stimulates the scholarship on digital communication technologies and contentious collective action to thrive as an exciting, relevant, but highly fragmentary and contested field with disciplinary boundaries. To advance the interdisciplinary understanding, Shifting Dynamics of Contention in the Digital Age outlines a communication-centered framework that articulates the intricate relationship between technology, communication, and contention. It further prods us to engage more critically with existing theories from communication, sociology, and political science on digital technologies and political movements. Given the theoretical endeavor, Shifting Dynamics of Contention in the Digital Age systematically explores, for the first time, the influence of mobile technology on political contention in China, the country with the world’s largest number of mobile and Internet users. Using first-hand in-depth interview and fieldwork data, it tracks the strategic choice of mobile phones as repertoires of contention, illustrates the effective mobilization of mobile communication on the basis of its strong and reciprocal social ties, and identifies the communicative practice of forwarding officially alleged “rumors” as a form of everyday resistance. Through this ground-breaking study, Shifting Dynamics of Contention in the Digital Age presents a nuanced portrayal of an emerging dynamics of contention—both its strengths and limitations—through the embedding of mobile communication into Chinese society and politics.

Understanding women’s mobile phone use in rural Kenya: An affordance-based approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Wyche ◽  
Nightingale Simiyu ◽  
Martha E. Othieno
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Mobile Communication ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Phone Use ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Rural Kenya ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Definition Of

Increases in mobile phone ownership and Internet access throughout Africa continue to motivate initiatives to use information and communication technologies (ICTs)—in particular, mobile phones—to address long-standing socioeconomic problems in the “developing world.” While it is generally recognized that mobile phones may help to address these problems by providing pertinent information, less widely known is exactly how (and if) a handset’s human–computer interface—that is, its software and hardware design—supports this form of communication. The concept of “affordances” has long been used to answer such questions. In this paper, we use Hartson’s definition of affordances to qualitatively investigate rural Kenyan women’s interactions with their mobile phones. Our detailed analysis provides empirically grounded answers to questions about the cognitive, physical, and sensory affordances of handsets used in our field sites and how they support and/or constrain mobile communication. We then discuss the implications of our findings: in particular, how this affordance-based approach draws attention to mobile phones’ design features and to the context in which they and their users are embedded—a focus which suggests new design and research opportunities in mobile communication.

Gender Differences in the Technology’s Classic Models in Social Network Sites

2014 ◽  
pp. 126-142
Author(s):  
Begoña Peral-Peral ◽  
Ángel F. Villarejo-Ramos ◽  
Manuel J. Sánchez-Franco
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Acceptance Model

Social Network Sites (SNS) have very rapidly become part of the daily reality of Internet users in recent years. Firms also use social networks as a two-way communication with their current and potential customers. This exploratory work means to analyze if Internet users’ gender influences the behavior of using social networks. There is a reason for this. Despite Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) acceptance and use being more frequent in men, according to the previous literature, in line with different surveys on the subject, social networks are more used by women. The authors, therefore, analyze in this chapter if there are gender differences in the constructs of technology’s classic models, such as the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) and the TPB (Theory of Planned Behavior). They use a sample of 1,460 university students.

E-Transformation in Higher Education and What It Coerces for the Faculty

2019 ◽  
pp. 355-378
Author(s):  
Ela Akgün-Özbek ◽  
Ali Ekrem Özkul
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Impact

With the phenomenal developments in information and communication technologies, higher education has been facing an unprecedented challenge that affects all the stakeholders. Faculty is no exception. The authors synthesize the demographic, economic, and pedagogical factors that lead to a paradigm shift in higher education and the global trends in digital technologies that impel digital transformation in higher education. They then provide a snapshot of how higher education institutions respond to this challenge and change, and the impact of these factors on the roles and competencies of faculty that need to be covered in faculty development initiatives in the digital age. Finally, examples of faculty development programs and initiatives that address the digital competencies of faculty are provided along with a summary of faculty development models for teaching and learning in the digital age.

Domestic vs. International E-Shopping

2019 ◽  
pp. 24-39
Author(s):  
Vaggelis Saprikis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Mobile Industry ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Shed Light

Contemporary commerce is completely different as regards features some years ago. Nowadays, a considerable number of individuals and firms take advantage of the information and communication technologies and conduct transactions online. In particular, the mobile industry along with the broad use of social networks and improvements in the internet bandwidth worldwide has created a completely different business environment. Consequently, the technology incited many consumers to cross-border e-shopping, allowing access to a wider variety of products and services, and in numerous circumstances, access to cheaper goods. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the perceptions internet users have towards e-shops focusing on Greece. More precisely, it aims to find out whether there are contingent differences on customers' perceptions regarding domestic vs. international e-shops, since a gradually augmented number of people have been expressing their preference on non-domestic e-stores for their purchases. Additionally, the chapter intends to shed light on the difficulty in understanding vital aspects of e-consumer behaviour.

Domestic vs. International E-Shopping

2021 ◽  
pp. 1819-1834
Author(s):  
Vaggelis Saprikis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Mobile Industry ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Shed Light

Contemporary commerce is completely different as regards features some years ago. Nowadays, a considerable number of individuals and firms take advantage of the information and communication technologies and conduct transactions online. In particular, the mobile industry along with the broad use of social networks and improvements in the internet bandwidth worldwide has created a completely different business environment. Consequently, the technology incited many consumers to cross-border e-shopping, allowing access to a wider variety of products and services, and in numerous circumstances, access to cheaper goods. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the perceptions internet users have towards e-shops focusing on Greece. More precisely, it aims to find out whether there are contingent differences on customers' perceptions regarding domestic vs. international e-shops, since a gradually augmented number of people have been expressing their preference on non-domestic e-stores for their purchases. Additionally, the chapter intends to shed light on the difficulty in understanding vital aspects of e-consumer behaviour.

An Empirical Investigation of Internet Users' Perceptions towards National and International e-Shops

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaggelis Saprikis
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Shopping Behavior ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Costly Communication ◽  
Online Stores ◽  
Shed Light

Nowadays, the broad Internet utilization and the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have greatly changed the way goods and services are bought and sold. As a consequence, even more online users prefer not only to shop online, but also purchase abroad taking advantage of Internet's limitless feature. Thus, technology's success has stimulated the process of cross-border e-shopping, allowing fast, less costly communication, as well as access to a wider variety of goods and services. The purpose of this consumer-oriented approach paper is to examine the perceptions of Greek Internet users concerning e-shops. In specific, it aims to reveal if there are differences on users' perceptions regarding Greek versus international e-shops, as even more individuals visit non-domestic online stores for their e-purchases. Hence, it provides tangible results to an under-explored area of online shopping and shed light on the difficulty of understanding important aspects of e-shopping behavior; presenting vital implications to both academia and practitioners.

scholarly journals Towards a National Framework for Digital Preservation in Nigeria: Technologies and Best Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 146-155
Author(s):  
David Oguche ◽  
Asabe Aliyu
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Preservation ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
National Memory ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
National Framework

The need for preserving digital resources (acquired or generated) by institutions in Nigeria becomes imperative in the wake of adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by these institutions. The paper advocates for a national framework for preserving digital resources for long-term or future use and to avoid the risk of losing national memory in this digital age. Technology emulation, migration and encapsulation are some of the digital preservation strategies discussed in the paper. The paper also identified two key national institutions that can drive the digital preservation initiative in Nigeria. Keywords: Archive, Preservation, Digital materials, Technology Obsolence

Charging Fandom in the Digital Age

2018 ◽  
pp. 147-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuojia Guo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Fan Culture ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Information And Communication

In the digital age, the proliferation of fan-generated content on social media platforms is making the fan culture transitioning from the “static” online consumption to “dynamic” interaction. This is not only a result of the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), but also a cultural phenomenon driving by participatory fandom in cyberspace. The rise of social media has dramatically altered the dynamics of fan practices and spectatorship hence increased vocality and visibility within the fan community as well as the formation and facilitation of fan roles. In this chapter, we will explore why social media have such a profound impact upon fandom. In particular, what is new with these fan communities that social media has done so much to enable. Why there is a blurring in the lines between fandom producers and consumers in the participatory fandom. Given the new forms of cultural production, how fan culture enabled by social media is more powerful than it was ever before.

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